Hello and welcome to RetroFootballManagement Tales, a new blog site dedicated to the iPhone and Android game Retro Football Management.
The game is available to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
This site is dedicated to showcasing saves from the game and players' efforts at altering history. If you would like to contribute to the site then get in touch and send your stories (with photos) to rfmtales@gmail.com.
With that in mind, I Dan Barker Gray will get things started as I take the reins of my beloved Manchester United.
It's the summer of 1988, England have just been ignominiously dumped out of the European Championships, Liverpool are league champions (again!) although Wimbledon's Crazy Gang scuppered the Anfield club's hopes of the double with their surprise 1-0 win in the FA Cup final.
Despite finishing second behind the eventual champions, patchy form and disappointing results have led to Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards dispensing with the services of Alex Ferguson just short of two years after he came south of the border from Aberdeen. Twenty-one years since the league championship trophy nestled in the Old Trafford trophy cabinet, the fate of the club is now in my hands.
The board have given me a respectable target of finishing within the top eight and despite allocating me a small transfer budget, the instruction is that I must sell before I can buy.
With this in mind, I move quickly to show Ralph Milne and Colin Gibson the door as the two complete transfers to Everton and QPR respectively.
Scotsman Ralph Milne becomes one of the victims as financial constraints mean I have to cull two members of the squad before I can bring any new blood in.
After a speculative bid for Luton Town goalkeeper Les Sealey is turned down, my transfer activity finally begins when Clive Goodyear, fresh from helping Wimbledon shock Liverpool at Wembley, swaps Plough Lane for Old Trafford to provide depth in the defence. Goodyear is quickly joined in the dressing room at The Cliff training ground by nomadic striker Imre Varadi, the ex-Man City striker arrives in the red half of Manchester from Sheffield Wednesday and will hopefully provide competition in the starting XI for established stars Mark Hughes and Brian McClair.
In a surprise move, journeyman striker Imre Varadi swaps South Yorkshire for Greater Manchester to join United from Sheffield Wednesday.
After all that transfer 'excitement' I suppose we had better kick this season off.
In front of a fervent Old Trafford following, Mark Hughes gives us a deserved lead but we're soon pegged back when Mick Harford levels affairs ten minutes later. It's a disappointing and rather inauspicious start to the season.
Despite a hostile reception at Plough Lane, we manage to record our first win of the season thanks to Danish superstar Jesper Olsen's only goal of the game against the FA Cup holders.
Our first real test of the season comes in the shape of reigning champions Liverpool as we welcome our bitter rivals to Old Trafford. On a fine afternoon in the Mancunian sun, we manage to lay down a huge marker as Mark Hughes grabs a brace either side of Brian McClair's strike to sweep Kenny Dalglish's team aside 3-0.
Mark Falco gives QPR an early lead at Old Trafford but thankfully we come from behind thanks to another two goals to continue Mark Hughes' impressive early season form as we end the month with a 2-1 win thus preserving our unbeaten start to the campaign.
Our good form sees us end the month in third position behind surprise leaders Southampton and some people's favourites for the title, Arsenal.
That's your lot for this one, I'll be back on Sunday as the season continues into September 1988.
Until then take care and remember to follow me on Twitter @DanBarkerGray and Retro Football Management @RetroFootyMan.
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